An outraged Aldi shopper says he found a 'huge cricket' in his Christmas broccoli.
Dad Sam Green, 30, says he discovered the 'three-inch' insect trapped underneath the plastic packaging surrounding his broccoli.
The bank worker, from Bristol, picked up the vegetable on Wednesday and now fears he may find another unwanted surprise in his festive food shop.
He even joked he may come across a hamster in his turkey, Bristol Live reports.
Mr Green said: “It was a surprise. I thought, ‘What the heck is that?’
“The wrapping said it was packed in Spain so it must have made its way across. It didn’t have a little sombrero or anything.
"If that can get in, you wonder what else can. It doesn't inspire much confidence. I'm wondering if I'll find a hamster in my turkey now."
Mr Green shot some footage of the cricket after picking up his Aldi Christmas Click & Collect shopping at around lunchtime.
His four-year-old daughter Phoebe could be heard remarking: “Maybe he’s hungry and wants to eat some broccoli.”
The dad replied: “I think he's had enough broccoli – that’s the problem.”
He initially thought the insect might be a grasshopper, but it appears to have the longer antennae of a cricket.
Mr Green let the cricket go free on the deck of his garden but it jumped on his outdoor table, where it remained as of lunchtime yesterday.
“It hopped a few times but I don’t think it likes the cold of Britain,” Mr Green added.
"I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to let it go or if we needed to send it back to Spain – with Brexit I suppose there’s not much we can do,” he joked.
“It's really slow. I thinks it's trying to hide from the cold. I don’t think the poor thing's going to make it.”
Mr Green emailed Aldi to complain yesterday and received a “very kind” call from the supermarket chain yesterday morning.
He said: “I'm guessing they were quite shocked as well because the woman said, 'Maybe it got into the packaging when it was really small and then grew as it travelled to the UK.'
"I was like, 'Hmm – I’m not sure it was in transit for that long.'
“They said they’d send me a shopping voucher, though I'm not sure for how much. I don’t think it’s going to be my way to riches.”
He revealed the incident has led Phoebe to go off the idea of broccoli.
“It’s my favourite but not with crickets,” she told Bristol Live.
Mr Green went to Sainsbury’s for some replacement broccoli, which he was relieved to find cricket-free.
“I probably won't be buying Aldi veg for a while,” he added.
“Maybe it shows they don’t use pesticide on their plants though – perhaps it’s a good thing.”
An Aldi spokesman said: “We are sorry that this product did not meet our usual high standards and we have apologised for any inconvenience caused.”
